Use floral resin charms to create one-of-a-kind keychains and bag charms with this easy tutorial. These make perfect handmade gifts for friends and family—or a little treat for yourself!
Crafts and DIYs like this one are perfect for a screen-free evening or girls’ night activity.
Making Bag Charms and Keychains with Floral Resin Charms
I am a gardener and I love incorporating bits of my garden into everyday life. It’s not enough for me to enjoy the garden outside; I want to enjoy it indoors too!
Lately I’ve been pressing flowers and turning them into charms using resin.
I’ve already made necklaces and ribbon bookmarks using my DIY charms, so of course I had to try making these bag charms and keychains!
What Are Bag Charms?
Bag charms are a personal way to accessorize your handbag, backpack, or purse.
Clip them onto your bag’s hardware to reflect your mood, personality, seasons, or interests. Adding charms is an easy way to dress up a plain bag and show off your own style.
Some people take it a little more seriously and see bag charms as a status symbol or way to flaunt hard-to-get accessories. I can’t keep up with that!
To me, bag charms are just a fun way to try a trend and be creative, and I hope you’ll give them a try, too!
Why You’ll Love This DIY
- Quick and easy to make
- Very customizable and fun
- Makes a thoughtful gift
- Lets you experiment with color, texture, and style
- A perfect craft for a slow, relaxing evening or girls’ night
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. By purchasing through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What You’ll Need to Make Bag Charms and Keychains
Charms
You’ve got plenty of options here!
- Make your own floral resin charms using my tutorial.
- Buy cute charms from craft stores or online. (I love these double-sided letter charms.)
- Repurpose old jewelry
Extra Findings
- tassels: add movement and softness
- beads: large beads or strings of beads add extra sparkle and bling
- ribbon: adds patterns and colors
Hardware
- Keyring: The set I’ve linked includes multiple colors and matching chains, or use one that you already have
- Large Lobster Clasp: Get large ones like the one I’ve linked to make it easy to clip a bag charm onto your bag or backpack.
- Jump rings, large and small: choose a color that matches your clamps, rings, and charms
Tools
You’ll need two jewelry pliers to open and close jump rings. Jewelry pliers are the best type to use for working with delicate metals. This set has 3 different pliers (needle nose, bent nose, round nose) that will work well for this project.
How to Make DIY Bag Charms and Keychains
Step 1: Design your keychain.
Choose charms, tassels, or beads in any combination you like. This is the most fun part, in my opinion, so take your time and enjoy the process!
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Use a color theme to match your bag, outfit, a special holiday, or season.
- Create a layered look by using findings of different lengths. For example, a long ribbon, a medium-length string of beads, a large charm, and a smaller charm on top of that.
- Combine soft ribbons or tassels with metal or resin charms for contrast.
- Add a personal touch using charms with your initials, hobby-related charms, or tiny keepsakes or lockets.
- Mix beads, ribbons, and charms for additional layering.
Step 2: Build a chain of jump rings.
If your keyring or clasp didn’t come with a jump ring chain, you can easily make your own.
(Skip ahead to the next step if you already have one!)
To do this, twist jump rings apart side-to-side.
Do not pull them apart like a clamshell opening and closing. This preserves the shape of the jump ring and allows the ends to line up when you close it again.
Make the chain as long as you like.
Then attach it to your keyring and/or lobster clasp.
Step 3: Attach charms and findings.
Open jump rings by twisting them apart and attach charms along your jump ring chain according to your design.
Make sure one-sided charms are all facing the same way as you attach them!
If you want to swap charms out whenever: attach charms to small lobster clips so you can take them off or put them on whenever you like!
Step 4: Admire and enjoy.
Clasp your new bag charm onto your bag or add keys to your keychain and enjoy.
Don’t hesitate to experiment. Make a few more keychains and layer them onto your bag!
Quick Tips for Extra Customization
Want to make your keychains and bag charms even more custom? Here are a few ideas to personalize and show off your style.
- Mix metals, fabrics, and resin for contrast
- Include letters or initials for personalization
- Make your own charms out of resin
- Play with monochrome or contrasting color schemes
- Pair larger statement charms with smaller accent charms for balance
- Use charms that reflect hobbies or interests
- Attach a jump ring or claw clip to mini plushies to add a playful touch to your bag charm
Get Creative!
DIY bag charms and keychains are a simple, satisfying craft that lets you combine creativity with practicality, and maybe bring a bit of the garden into everyday life.
I hope you enjoy making these keychains and playing with color, texture, and design in endless ways.
If you liked this craft, you may also like making a ribbon charm bookmark!